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Political Apathy - Don't let the turkeys get you down.

Sometimes, it seems as if we are powerless when faced with large and impersonal institutions.

Our only strength we have as individuals is how we chose to interpret the events of our lives. Someone once told me that the Universe exists by agreement. If you look around, he said, you can see who and what has agreement.

So, now, it's time to change the agreement. Life is a conversation and by taking Herschel's letter out into the world we begin a new conversation. Use it.

The people who supposedly represent me don't give a hoot what I think. Not one person I've voted for has won an election, measures and ballots pass regardless of my "not just no but HELL NO" vote.

I would like nothing better than to cut off their money supply, but they've got more and bigger guns than I could possibly have. "My" state and its so-called representatives are well and truly bought off with tobacco subsidies and military contracts.

To those few lucky enough to live in the 14th district of Texas, you have one very fine representative. Under any sane actual "representative" system, I could assign my ballot to him too.

Jimf,
Albert Einstein once said "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them". There is your answer.

Politicians create and patch problems and it is for "The People" to solve them. I am not saying we shouldn't try with politicians, there still is some hope, but we absolutely shouldn't reply on them. We have a much better chance of enlightening people to solve problems than getting politician to be part of the solution. Keep posting and keep reaching out.

Herchel, Very well put together model letter. I have been looking for something like this. Thanks

The problem with politicians is that they care about voters only to the extent that caring keeps them in office.

If we can make issues resonate to enough people --- and it doesn't need to be anywhere near a majority of the voters, as Ralph Nader proved in 2000 --- we can make them important to politicians who want to keep their power.

Abe: Einstein's saying reiterates what the founding fathers of the US said. "Revolution".

jdixon: contact them anyway. Send them a real letter. I watched a senator's mail tray before. He has a staffer go over there and write down the issues on a summary sheet. They don't do that with email but they do it with faxes. I asked around and that is the practice.

jim: Of course, an irony exists in that. But as Dino wrote (BTW - the first post of his in 7 years with which I agreed) they only pay attention if it will get them elected.

Now, marketing is a conversation. So, add your voice to the conversation. When enough of us do, the volume gets louder.

Tom,
FOSS is a "Revolution", a social one. We just need to enable it to proliferate into other areas like Health Care, Welfare, Insurance, Farming, etc... Yah, we claim we have programs and such, but they are nothing more than cover for the filthy rich to take advantage of. We talk about supply and demand, it is a bunch of bull and the latest oil prices fiasco is a proof of its failure. I am sure this will get Dino's attention!!!